Canning Tomato Sauce

[llowman]

I've been researching this but here's my question. I cook my Italian sauce for 2 days or longer to make sure it's thick enough - made from fresh tomatoes. I want to can the sauce when it's done. If the jars are hot packed with sauce w/added lemon juice, seals and lids put on them while the sauce is still hot - do I HAVE to put them in a hot water bath? The jars will seal as the sauce cools so why would I have to do the HWB?

I have a ceramic top stove and can't put a canning pot on top because it might break. Thanks!

 

[Duffster]

I've been researching this but here's my question. I cook my Italian sauce for 2 days or longer to make sure it's thick enough - made from fresh tomatoes. I want to can the sauce when it's done. If the jars are hot packed with sauce w/added lemon juice, seals and lids put on them while the sauce is still hot - do I HAVE to put them in a hot water bath? The jars will seal as the sauce cools so why would I have to do the HWB?

YES, YES, YES. Well actually, No, you could use a pressure canner as well.

Not processing it is like playing russian roulette. Beside to do it the way you are asking it would be imperative that you sterilize the jars first. If you process them you wouldn't have too. So time wise it would be about a wash.

I have a ceramic top stove and can't put a canning pot on top because it might break. Thanks!

Eh? Use a smooth bottom pot or the pot part of a pressure canner. You don't have to use an actaul "canning" pot.

 

[llowman]

I always sterilize my jars but my dishwasher has a sterilizing cycle and I do it that way. So am I misunderstanding or yes it's okay if the jars are sterilized to let them seal themselves?

My with my flat top stove it's a weight issue even with a flat bottom pot which is what I'd use. But w/the weight of the water/jars/tomato sauce it might be too much and break the ceramic top. Can't afford for that to happen.

 

[keegs]

I've been researching this but here's my question. I cook my Italian sauce for 2 days or longer to make sure it's thick enough - made from fresh tomatoes. I want to can the sauce when it's done. If the jars are hot packed with sauce w/added lemon juice, seals and lids put on them while the sauce is still hot - do I HAVE to put them in a hot water bath? The jars will seal as the sauce cools so why would I have to do the HWB?

I have a ceramic top stove and can't put a canning pot on top because it might break. Thanks!

I can't answer with any authority but my sense is I'd err on the side of caution and sterilize the jars and rings in a hot water bath.

I have a glass top stove and haven't had any problems with canning. Where did you learn this?

I use an old lobster pot that has a removable bottom (steamer) section. I keep the removable section in there to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot where it's hottest. I guess I'm more concerned about the glass jars cracking than the stove...hope I'm right.

 

[llowman]

Hmmm - I have a flat stock pot that is like the lobster pot w/a separate insert for draining liquid ... I guess I could use that and HWB the sauce after I've packed the jars. But it seems it would be easier to sterilize the jars, pack them w/lemon juice and hot sauce and let them seal themselves. Novice here obviously but they would seal so logically that seem like it would be ok. Opinions?

 

[Duffster]

it's okay if the jars are sterilized to let them seal themselves?

NO...........

 

[IslandTractor]

Canning is obviously a food preservation technique which depends on killing all microorganisms that cause the food to rot or that might survive to cause disease. Although cooked tomato sauce (after an hour of boiling much less two days!) is essentially sterile, the process of putting it into the jars will absolutely positively recontaminate it no matter how hard you try to keep things clean (airborne bacteria and fungal spores are ubiquitous). In science labs open tissue cultures are manipulated only under HEPA filtered laminar air hoods to avoid such contamination and even that often fails. So, even after dispensing into the jars the sauce and jars need to be repasteurized by the final boiling step. It's not just a matter of getting the jars to seal, it is resterilizing the contents that is critical.

 

[MossRoad]

Hmmm - I have a flat stock pot that is like the lobster pot w/a separate insert for draining liquid ... I guess I could use that and HWB the sauce after I've packed the jars. But it seems it would be easier to sterilize the jars, pack them w/lemon juice and hot sauce and let them seal themselves. Novice here obviously but they would seal so logically that seem like it would be ok. Opinions?

You cook the sauce on the stove, right? In a big pot, right? What's the difference between a pot of water and a pot of sauce or a pot of sauce and water with some jars in it? Not much.

I think the general consensus here is that you need to water bath can them. Don't take a chance with food poisoning. :ashamed:

 

[Duffster]

Botulism doesn't sound like something I would want to mess with.

Botulism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[F1520]

I learned to can tomatoes from an Italian woman who does it exactly the way you describe. She has done it this way since she was taught the technique over 40 years ago. She has no problems and has never poisoned her family.

But... last year I tried both ways and marked each jar's lid to indicate which technique was used. (Water bath vs. straight-to-jar.) The ones that were not processed in a water bath did not seal as tightly and several had contamination that caused fermentation/foaming and loss of seal within a few weeks to a few months.

I've decided to always use the water bath method from now on to prevent spoiled jars, clean-up, and for safety, too. Though it would be real tough not to notice a contaminated jar and serve the contents for dinner! It's VERY obvious when something's gone wrong.

YMMV & be careful! :thumbsup:

 

[F1520]

P.S. If you're concerned about your stovetop, buy a Cajun Cooker (burner only) and do the water bath processing on it. I have a huge pot that I put on my cajun cooker to boil water in to process 12 jars at a time.

http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/single_propane_burner.htm

Keeps the heat out of the house in late August, too! :thumbsup:

 

[Duffster]

It's VERY obvious when something's gone wrong.

Actually it is NOT when it comes to botulism..

 

[F1520]

Actually it is NOT when it comes to botulism..

If you're afraid of botulism in your canned tomato sauce, I suggest that you don't eat any. Botulism spores can only be killed at temps of 250F and above. Water boils at 212F. You can boil those jars all day, no botulism spores will die.

The safety concern with canning high acid foods like tomato puree is NOT botulism, which is why the water bath method can be used.

Back to the OP, if you are adding anything other than tomatoes and spices (such as meat or vegetables), then the water-bath method is not safe enough; you'll need to pressure-can to achieve the temp required for safe sterilization.

 

[Duffster]

If you're afraid of botulism in your canned tomato sauce, I suggest that you don't eat any. Botulism spores can only be killed at temps of 250F and above. Water boils at 212F. You can boil those jars all day, no botulism spores will die.

The safety concern with canning high acid foods like tomato puree is NOT botulism, which is why the water bath method can be used.

Eh?

Food acidity and processing methods

Whether food should be processed in a pressure canner or boiling-water canner to control botulinum bacteria depends on the acidity of the food. Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food. Low-acid canned foods are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The term "pH" is a measure of acidity; the lower its value, the more acid the food. The acidity level in foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6. They include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have pH values above 4.6 unless their recipes include enough lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or lower. They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters.

Although tomatoes usually are considered an acid food, some are now known to have pH values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have pH values slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods, these products must be acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner.

Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sterilized at temperatures of 240ｰ to 250ｰF, attainable with pressure canners operated at 10 to 15 PSIG. PSIG means pounds per square inch of pressure as measured by gauge. The more familiar "PSI" designation is used hereafter in this publication (the Complete Guide to Home Canning). At temperatures of 240ｰ to 250ｰF, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes.

The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85 minutes.

National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can

 

[F1520]

Eh?

Yup, read your own post. First sentence, fourth paragraph: "Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures..."

The OP is NOT killing botulinum spores whether he boils his filled jars or not. It's the acidity of the tomato puree (boosted with additional lemon juice in his case) that prevents them from growing.

The water bath method for tomato sauce and puree, which is the recommended method for canning tomatoes, does NOT kill botulinum spores.

Unless water boils at 240-250F in Wisconsin.

 

[Duffster]

Yup, read your own post.

Yup, did you?

Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated.

Back to the OP, if you are adding anything other than tomatoes and spices then the water-bath method is not safe enough; you'll need to pressure-can to achieve the temp required for safe sterilization.

Apparently this isn't the case either.

The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours;

Just sayin'.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have a ceramic cooktop and have no trouble with either an old fashioned water bath canner or a pressure canner. Just use a jar lifter to load and unload the canner, rather than trying to pick up the whole canner. Go ahead and water bath. You have done too much work to risk losing jars to spoilage.

They got all a-flutter about botulism, not noticing that you were adding lemon juice to the tomato paste. Just for the fun of it, I'll point out that botulism doesn't grow in sugar either, which is why jellies and jams are safe to hot pack. Botulin toxin is also very volatile, so you can render any suspect food safe to eat just by boiling it vigorously for half an hour.

 

[F1520]

...Botulin toxin is also very volatile, so you can render any suspect food safe to eat just by boiling it vigorously for half an hour.

Yes, that's correct. I find that boiling my tomato puree vigorously for a half hour hammers all the fresh flavors out of it and turns it into something similar to stale, supermarket off-brand tomato sauce, so I'd rather just dump a jar that's at all questionable.

There's nothing like cracking open a jar of that stuff in the middle of January and it tastes just like August! :licking:

 

[Duffster]

Yes, that's correct. I find that boiling my tomato puree vigorously for a half hour hammers all the fresh flavors out of it and turns it into something similar to stale, supermarket off-brand tomato sauce, so I'd rather just dump a jar that's at all questionable.

There's nothing like cracking open a jar of that stuff in the middle of January and it tastes just like August! :licking:

So true. Although we uasually end up cooking the tomatoes anyway. Things like applesauce I sure wouldn't want to boil for an half hour.

I guess we should mention that he shouldn't can tomatoes in half gallon jars either. :laughing:

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I cook my sauces for a long time also. But tomato sauce is cooked AFTER CANNING in a water bath canner. 35 minutes for pints, 40 minutes for quarts in a water bath canner. I would never just put hot sauce in a jar and hope it seals, it takes the heat in my opinion and the hot water to heat up the rubber sealer to make a seal and create a vacuum.

I sometimes cook mine outside on one of those burners you use under a turkey fryer, just turn it down.